Sunday, November 18, 2007

Sustainable Landscaping in Sacramento

I had an opportunity to tour several sustainable landscapes in Sacramento last Friday with Dave Roberts, a local landscape contractor specializing in sustainable landscaping. Accompanying us was front yard garden advocate Sue Jennings of Sustainable Urban Gardens. After a yummy lunch at La Bou (thanks, Dave), Dave whisked us over to several of his clients' homes in Land Park and East Sacramento that have been re-landscaped by his company, Roberts Landscape. I'm a proponent of sustainable landscaping and told Dave I'd love to see some of his gardens up close. He graciously obliged even though he's obviously a very, very busy guy!

Another term that's been coined for sustainable landscaping in Sacramento, AKA River City, is "River-Friendly landscaping".

What does "sustainable" or "River-Friendly" landscaping mean exactly? It can mean extra attention has been paid to selecting native, drought-tolerant orwildlife-attracting plants. It can also mean efforts have been made to reduce runoff from gardens into local waterways, or that soil health is preserved and that unnecessary use of pesticides is avoided. It may also mean the ubiquitous front lawn has been reduced or replaced, and that water-guzzling foundation shrubs have been replaced with River-Friendly plants.

I really admire the fact that contractors like Dave and neighborhood advocates like Sue are working tirelessly to educate the public about the need for River-Friendly landscapes in the Sacramento region. Our dry summers, history of droughts lasting well into the "rainy season", and prevalence of runoff-sensitive creeks, lakes and riverssignalthatit's time to embrace this new style of landscaping.

It's been time to embrace our Mediterranean climate, especially since Assembly Bill 2572 was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Bill gave us mandatory water meters and fees "based on the actual volume of deliveries, as measured by a water meter". You'll see that River-Friendly garden owners are watering less, but you'll also see the abundance of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds in their yards. And, hello... flowers!

Gardens can look lush without a lawn. Houses without front lawns can please the neighbors, as evidenced by the fact that several neighbors went River-Friendly after the first Robert's Landscape garden went in. From a gardener's perspective, it's just great to see something other than flat green rectangular lawns (yawn) set against the same old boxy hedges (yawn).

Whether you like a serene and formal mass of ground-hugging foliage plants... or an informal riot of color, an ever-expanding palette of River-Friendly plants provides exciting options for creating a garden that is both sustainable and aesthetically appealing.

If you want to learn more about River-Friendly landscaping, Dave Roberts will be giving a seminar at the Northern California Home & Landscape Expo at CalExpo on Saturday, January 26. You will also be able to see a River-Friendly demonstration garden at the expo.

6 comments:

hi angela - I really enjoyed this post as well as the links in it. I'm way over in Chicago, but still, this really inspired me to look at more native plants for my new garden. i'm planning to plant my front gardens next spring and it was nice to see the pictures of the front yards on this post.

Thanks for swinging by from Chicago, Gina! I'll bet there's a like-minded group in your area if you Google "sustainable landscaping Chicago" or "front yard gardens Chicago". Let us know if you find any good info.

Angela: this is one of your best posts. You're showing great examples and eloquently explaining the concept - a blogger after my own heart. I'm working on carrying the same message with my Santa Barbara-based blog and it's being very well received. Thanks for raising the bar. I can't recall if I already have a link from my site to yours, but if not, it's about to happen. Gotta spread the wealth.

I'm a newish homeowner in Sacto and I'd really like to have a river-friendly, minimal upkeep lawn and garden. But how would I get in touch with someone who could help me - without charging an arm and a leg? I have little experience and am looking for a landscape gardener rather than a high-end designer. Ideas, anyone? Tx.

About Me

When I'm not busy hawking plants or library books, I enjoy spending time cooking and baking, puttering in the garden, vermicomposting, plant collecting and propagating, veggie gardening and learning what other avid gardeners are growing in their yards. I'm a gadget freak and computer geek, something that obviously skipped a generation because I've spent much of my life helping my elders with their newfangled cameras, computers, the internet, and password retrieval. Repeatedly. I might just be a saint.